| Of Interest

On November 25, 2025, the New York Court of Appeals—the highest court in the state of New York—issued a decision in Article 13, LLC v. LaSalle National Bank Association, holding that New York’s Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act (FAPA) applies retroactively to all foreclosure actions in which a final judgment of foreclosure and sale has not been enforced.

What Happened?

In December 2022, New York enacted FAPA to close a perceived loophole under prior case law that allowed the holders of mortgage notes to reset the statute of limitations on foreclosure. Previously, a noteholder could show that that the mortgage was not validly accelerated, or was voluntarily deaccelerated, which would reset the statute of limitations. Under FAPA, however, parties are estopped from asserting that an invalid acceleration or voluntary deacceleration reset the statute of limitations.

Two years before FAPA was enacted, Article 13 LLC—a junior mortgage holder on a property—brought a quiet title action before a federal district court seeking to cancel a senior mortgage as time-barred under the statute of limitations. Relying on pre-FAPA case law, the holder of the senior mortgage argued the statute of limitations had not run because the mortgage had not been validly accelerated. Mid-litigation, New York enacted FAPA, and the district court held that FAPA estopped the senior mortgage holder from making this argument.

The case went on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which certified the question of whether FAPA applied retroactively to the New York Court of Appeals. Based on FAPA’s plain language, the New York Court of Appeals first held that FAPA applies retroactively, at least for foreclosure actions in which a final judgment or foreclosure and sale has not been enforced. It then held that the retroactive application of FAPA does not violate substantive or procedural due process under New York’s constitution. The Court explained that retroactive application does not offend due process because it does not impair the vested rights of holders, which in the typical situation, are aware for years of the invalid acceleration and have every opportunity to take timely action to enforce their rights.

Why is it Important?

The New York Court of Appeal’s decision is significant because in cases where a prior foreclosure action was commenced (triggering the statute of limitations) but later discontinued without an express judicial determination that acceleration was invalid, lenders are now estopped from reviving the loan after the limitations period has expired. This puts an end to an old practice and represents a major shift in the mortgage foreclosure industry.

For mortgage servicers, this means that before proceeding with a foreclosure, they must first evaluate aged or delinquent loans to reassess whether pursuing foreclosure is viable. This is particularly true when prior foreclosures have been voluntarily discontinued, dismissed, or left dormant. Attempting to re-file may now lead to outright dismissal under FAPA.

For participants in the secondary market, it is now important to employ heightened diligence to determine whether mortgages held in trust are still enforceable. Mortgages or entire portfolios that were previously viewed as recoverable through renewed foreclosure actions may now be worth only their collateral value or even nothing at all.

What Do You Need to Do?

Mortgage servicers should review their foreclosure strategies, including their allocation of litigation resources, as time-barred loans may require alternative resolution strategies such as settlements or charge-offs.

Meanwhile, RMBS trusts and other holders of distressed mortgage portfolios should consider whether to audit their portfolio to identify mortgages with prior foreclosure actions that may now be time barred under FAPA. Or, in the case that they are junior lienholders, they should consider whether they can leverage FAPA in quiet title actions to cancel more senior mortgages that are now time-barred.

What Happened?

On March 13, 2024, Fannie Mae issued Servicing Guide Announcement (SVC-2024-02) (the “Announcement”), which announced, among other things, updates to Fannie Mae’s Loan Modification Agreement (Form 3179), with additional instructions in response to the New York Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act (“FAPA”). Specifically, for all Loan Modification Agreements (Form 3179) sent to a borrower for signature on or after July 1, 2024, servicers are required to amend the modification agreement to insert the following as new paragraphs 5(e) and (f) for a mortgage loan secured by a property in New York:

(e) Borrower promises to pay the debt evidenced by the Note and Security Instrument. Further, Borrower acknowledges and agrees that any election by Lender to accelerate the debt evidenced by the Note and Security Instrument and the requirement by Lender of immediate payment in full thereunder is revoked upon the first payment made under the Agreement; and, the Note and Security Instrument, as amended by the Agreement, are returned to installment status and the obligations under the Note and Security Instrument remain fully effective as if no acceleration had occurred.

(f) Borrower further agrees to execute or cause to be executed by counsel, if applicable, a stipulation (to be filed with the court in the foreclosure action), that the Lender’s election to accelerate the debt evidenced by the Note and Security Instrument and requirement of immediate payment in full thereunder is revoked upon the first payment made under the Agreement and the debt evidenced by the Note and Security Instrument is deaccelerated at that time pursuant to New York General Obligations Law § 17-105, or other applicable law.

Fannie Mae encourages servicers to implement these changes immediately but requires that servicers do so for all modification agreements sent to the borrower for signature on and after July 1, 2024. Freddie Mac does not yet appear to have issued similar guidance.

Why Is It Important?

As we previously discussed in a prior blog post, FAPA reversed judicial precedent that permitted a lender, after default, to unilaterally undo the acceleration of a mortgage and stop the running of the statute of limitations in a foreclosure action through voluntary dismissal, discontinuance of foreclosure actions, or de-acceleration letters. For more than a year following FAPA’s enactment, the mortgage industry has grappled with how to address certain of the risks created by FAPA, including whether certain language could be adopted and incorporated into servicers’ loss mitigation documents to mitigate FAPA risk.

Fannie Mae’s Announcement is significant because it represents the first piece of guidance from a federal agency or government-sponsored enterprise (i.e., Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac) that provides some clarity as to what language may be appropriate to mitigate certain of the risks engendered by the New York FAPA.

What Do I Need to Do?

Servicers of Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loans (secured by property in New York) should evaluate their loss mitigation processes and make appropriate updates to ensure compliance with the Announcement. Servicers should also continue to monitor for additional guidance or caselaw as this issue remains in flux.